The Sinnerman Dilemma

Of all the side missions in Cyberpunk 2077 (and there are many), there is one in particular that still makes me feel squirmy about the outcome.  It all begins with a phone call from Wakako about a gig--V is highly skeptical because if she's directly calling with this job, it must be a doozy.  A client wants V to carry out a hit, something that I always make my V reluctant to do (and something that Wako throws back in V's face every time).  The target is a sentenced murderer (Wako won't divulge any details), so he's not some innocent who got tied up in a corporate scheme or gang politics or any of the other myriad reasons why someone would hire a hit man in Night City.  It's a job, so why not?

V meets with the client, a guy with real blue collar worker vibes who reveals the truth about the hit--his wife was brutally murdered by the target and he's out to get revenge.  Then things get weird--V tries to begin laying out a plan (because just shooting someone in the middle of the street in broad daylight isn't a good idea) but the client explains that he is the one who wants to do the shooting.  Fortunately, the target is currently being transported and it's the perfect opportunity to catch him out in the open.  V's job is to drive the truck and keep up with the police transport (oh, awesome, so there's police involved).  There's a short chase with lots of obnoxious vehicles getting in the way, and then the transport is stopped by a stalled semi that is blocking the street.  It's the perfect opportunity for the client to do the shooting!  So, of course, the idiot pops out of the truck (imploring V to follow as support) and starts making his way toward the police transport.  The client pulls his gun to fire...but the cop who was driving the transport sees him and after warning the idiot to drop his gun, he pops the client.  Uhhh, not how things were supposed to go down.

By this point two other figures have emerged from the police vehicle--one, a heavily tattooed figure in a prison jumpsuit (the target of the failed hit) and a woman with a very corpo vibe.  There's a brief exchange as the situation is revealed and weirdly, the prisoner wants V to join them in the transport (corpo chick is crabbily prodding everyone to get moving because they have a schedule to keep).  Why would V go with them?  What is actually going on?  It's all very strange.  Johnny appears to share his wisdom and implores V to participate in whatever nonsense is happening (he's actually weirdly chipper about it).  So, why not?  Why wouldn't the person who was hired to kill a guy join him for random unclear activities?

Once in the vehicle, the prisoner reveals himself to be Joshua Stephenson, an accused and tried murderer who is sentenced to die.  All he wants is for V to join him for the day--he'll pay the same amount as V was supposed to get for the hit (well, the corpo chick will.  She's apparently connected to some sort of studio)  V can question him about the murders (Yep, he did them.  Nope, he doesn't have a good reason why--he killed them because he didn't like the way they looked at him--so a real psycho) and try to get a handle on the situation, but everything is still extremely unclear.  Joshua apparently found religion in jail and is interested in V's take on forgiveness.  The cop who is driving announces that they have reached the stop that Joshua requested.  Joshua asks V to accompany him as they enter a small house in the working class section of Rancho Coronado.  They are greeted at the door by a woman who clearly knows Joshua and she invites them in.  Sooo, what the hell is this all about?

Things start to get slightly clearer as Joshua conversates with the woman--she's the sister of one of his victims, he was writing her letters while he was incarcerated, and both of them are strongly religious.  V gets pulled into a the middle of the religious discussion and it becomes clear that Joshua is on a mission to seek forgiveness for his actions.  It's at this point that V can press the sister to reveal exactly what Joshua is planning...and it's bonkers!  The entire reason why Joshua is out of prison is because he has struck a deal between the NCPD and a BD studio to record his execution.  Oh, and the best (...worst) part is that he's going to be crucified.  Just as this fact bomb is dropped another woman enters the house and she's none too thrilled to see Joshua (and V)--she's the mother of the man who was murdered.  She immediately tells them to leave--she has no interest in forgiving Joshua.

V and Joshua head back to the vehicle and it's here that V can press Joshua more about his whacky plan.  He firmly believes in what he's doing and sees it as the ultimate act of contrition.  The entire time, Rachel (the corpo woman who is from the BD studio) is listening to the conversation.  There are multiple dialogue choices--you can support Joshua in his idea or question the entire thing (I always question it...because it's insane)  She announces that it's time to grab a bite to eat and directs the cop to drive them to a nearby restaurant.  Once they arrive at the restaurant, Rachel stops V to have a word--she's pissed that V is "confusing" Joshua and wants to strike a deal--V can walk away from this entire crazy scenario with double the amount he/she was offered for the hit (or triple if V is a corpo).  Johhny pops up and implores V to turn it down and continue his/her participation in this entire charade.

Rachel and Joshua--An uncomfortable last meal.

Everyone heads into the restaurant and sits down together--Rachel's not thrilled that V is still hanging around.  V tries to swerve the conversation onto other topics to distract Joshua (and can try to pull Rachel into the discussion) but Rachel is determined that Joshua stay focused.  Things get tense and eventually Rachel, Joshua, and their police escort leave.  Johnny appears to offer his two cents on the entire scenario and he and V can have a nice exchange about religion and Johnny's current state as a construct.  It's oddly deep.

It initially appears that this very bizarre encounter has ended, but about 24 hours later V receives a phone call from Rachel (surprisingly).  Joshua's at the studio and it's go-time, but he is reluctant to go forward with the plan and is asking for V.  Rachel wants V to come to the studio and meet with Joshua (solely to get him to go ahead with the crucifixion...because Rachel is a soulless banshee).

The scene at the studio is chaotic as the police are guarding the gates against a large throng of protesters who are unhappy with this particular studio production.  Once V has found Joshua, he asks if V will pray with him (you can choose to do it or not).  V can still continue to press him about not going forward with it...but his mind is made up.  His next request is...oof though, he wants V to be the one to nail him to the cross (you are presented with three options at this point--you can do it, you can choose not to do it but to stay and watch--in a supportive manner--or to say that you won't even watch and leave).

I've chosen all three of the possible options and they all feel unsatisfactory.  There's a lot to consider during this morally dubious mission:

1.) Is Joshua being genuine in his beliefs?  He seems to truly believe and is constantly quoting scripture and discussing religious ideas.  He claims that he wants to reach the masses with his act of contrition and sees his actions as the best way to draw people in.

2.) The fact that the act is being commercially produced and marketed as a BD is a fabulous example of the complete and total corporate exploitation that is the core of Night City.  Rachel doesn't care about Joshua at all and only sees his act as a product that will help her further the studio's interests and her own career.  My initial reaction was for V to say no and walk away from the entire thing.  That feels unsatisfactory because Joshua has become weirdly attached to V and it feels like leaving him to suffer through it alone.

3.) Joshua's mental state--he seems unstable and the plan is completely nuts.  V can bring this fact up to Rachel (who agrees that he's unstable), but her only concern is that he will go forward with the crucifixion.  It doesn't feel right to participate in a decision made by a person who is mentally unstable.

There are no good feeling outcomes for this mission and it's one that Johnny is strangely interested in--he pops up throughout to implore V to do something or to just share his thoughts.  He also expresses a strange combination of respect and disgust for Joshua and the entire ludicrous situation.  He and V do get the chance to approach a somewhat deep topic that pops up at several points throughout the game--are constructs (like Johnny or any other psyche/engram) really alive?  Are they really "people" or just data that represents people?  It's a deeply philosophical topic with serious implications given Arasaka's plan for Relic.

Sinnerman is one of the more memorable side missions and one that left me feeling conflicted.  Participating in the actual crucifixion felt wrong--the corporate exploitation of a religious act for profit is disgusting (and typical of corporations in the world of Cyberpunk) but there's a human factor that's hard to deny--someone who is seeking forgiveness for their sins.